Peptide Skincare & BeautySkin science and ingredient guides

Skin science article

La Prairie Skin Caviar Luxe Cream Versus Chantecaille Bio Lifting Serum+

La Prairie Skin Caviar Luxe Cream Versus Chantecaille Bio Lifting Serum+ This moisturizer is formulated around Butyrospermum Parkii Butter and Panax Ginseng Root Extract to hydrate skin. This anti-aging serum is formulated around Rosa Damascena Flower Water an

La Prairie Skin Caviar Luxe Cream Versus Chantecaille Bio Lifting Serum+

This moisturizer is formulated around Butyrospermum Parkii Butter and Panax Ginseng Root Extract to hydrate skin.

This anti-aging serum is formulated around Rosa Damascena Flower Water and Acetyl Hexapeptide-8 to soften the look of wrinkles.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Dimethicone

Cetearyl Alcohol

Butyrospermum Parkii Butter

Glycerin

Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil

Butylene Glycol

Cetearyl Glucoside

Octyldodecanol

Glyceryl Stearate

Glycoproteins

Panax Ginseng Root Extract

Equisetum Arvense Extract

Caviar Extract

Tocopheryl Acetate

Pullulan

Mangifera Indica Seed Oil

Haematococcus Pluvialis Extract

Lactic Acid

Caulerpa Lentillifera Extract

Sodium DNA

Ceramide NP

Lecithin

Tocopherol

Sodium Hyaluronate

Diethylhexyl Syringylidenemalonate

Carnosine

Rna

Hydrolyzed Rice Bran Protein

Hydrogenated Lecithin

Borago Officinalis Seed Oil

Citric Acid

Malic Acid

Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract

Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract

Lactobacillus Ferment

Polyglucuronic Acid

Retinyl Palmitate

Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Extract

Tetrapeptide-3

Ascorbyl Palmitate

Parfum

Linalool

Citronellol

Geraniol

Limonene

Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone

Benzyl Salicylate

Phenoxyethanol

Sodium Dehydroacetate

Potassium Sorbate

CI 77891

CI 77491

CI 19140

CI 14700

CI 15985

Water, Dimethicone, Cetearyl Alcohol, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Glycerin, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil, Butylene Glycol, Cetearyl Glucoside, Octyldodecanol, Glyceryl Stearate, Glycoproteins, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Equisetum Arvense Extract, Caviar Extract, Tocopheryl Acetate, Pullulan, Mangifera Indica Seed Oil, Haematococcus Pluvialis Extract, Lactic Acid, Caulerpa Lentillifera Extract, Sodium DNA, Ceramide NP, Lecithin, Tocopherol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Diethylhexyl Syringylidenemalonate, Carnosine, Rna, Hydrolyzed Rice Bran Protein, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Borago Officinalis Seed Oil, Citric Acid, Malic Acid, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Lactobacillus Ferment, Polyglucuronic Acid, Retinyl Palmitate, Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Extract, Tetrapeptide-3, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Parfum, Linalool, Citronellol, Geraniol, Limonene, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Benzyl Salicylate, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Potassium Sorbate, CI 77891, CI 77491, CI 19140, CI 14700, CI 15985

Rosa Damascena Flower Water

Methyl Gluceth-20

Imperata Cylindrica Root Extract

Diglycerin

Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose

Xanthan Gum

Plantago Lanceolata Leaf Extract

Ethylhexylglycerin

PPG-26-Buteth-26

PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil

Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer

Pentylene Glycol

Porphyridium Cruentum Extract

Caprylyl Glycol

Maltodextrin

Sodium Hydroxide

Rosa Damascena Flower Oil

Pelargonium Graveolens Oil

Theobroma Cacao Seed Extract

Psilanthus Bengalensis Leaf Cell Culture Extract

Carbomer

Acetyl Hexapeptide-8

Rubus Idaeus Leaf Cell Culture

Nicotiana Sylvestris Leaf Cell Culture

Acetyl Hexapeptide-38

N-Prolyl Palmitoyl Tripeptide-56 Acetate

Rosa Damascena Flower Water, Water, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Methyl Gluceth-20, Imperata Cylindrica Root Extract, Diglycerin, Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose, Phenoxyethanol, Pullulan, Xanthan Gum, Plantago Lanceolata Leaf Extract, Ethylhexylglycerin, PPG-26-Buteth-26, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Pentylene Glycol, Porphyridium Cruentum Extract, Caprylyl Glycol, Maltodextrin, Sodium Hydroxide, Rosa Damascena Flower Oil, Pelargonium Graveolens Oil, Citric Acid, Theobroma Cacao Seed Extract, Psilanthus Bengalensis Leaf Cell Culture Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Carbomer, Acetyl Hexapeptide-8, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Rubus Idaeus Leaf Cell Culture, Nicotiana Sylvestris Leaf Cell Culture, Acetyl Hexapeptide-38, N-Prolyl Palmitoyl Tripeptide-56 Acetate, Citronellol, Geraniol, Linalool

Reviews

Be the first to review

Alternatives

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.

Butylene Glycol (or BG) is used within cosmetic products for a few different reasons:

Overall, Butylene Glycol is a safe and well-rounded ingredient that works well with other ingredients.

Though this ingredient works well with most skin types, some people with sensitive skin may experience a reaction such as allergic rashes, closed comedones, or itchiness.

Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract (tea extract) is one of the most well-researched plant extracts in skincare with an impressive resume.

Black tea, green tea, and oolong tea are all harvested from the Camellia Sinensis plant.

Studies show green tea extract and its catechins (like epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG)) help your skin cells product energy more efficiently and reducing the number of free-radicals that can damage your skin from the inside.

In lab-grown skin models, this translated to younger, healthier, and stronger skin.

There's also good sun protection data; researchers saw less DNA damage and redness on human skin when green tea was applied before UVB exposure. And the more they applied, the better the protection.

Needless to say, this ingredient shouldn't replace your sunscreen. But it is a great supportive ingredient that you can already find in many sunscreens and antioxidant serums.

A 2009 study found a 2% green tea lotion was effective for mild-to-moderate acne thanks to its anti-inflammatory and mild antimicrobial activity.

The quality of the extract matters a lot here:

Good extracts contain 50-90% catechins while lower quality ones are mostly there for marketing. We recommend reaching out to the brand if you have questions about the quality or source of their ingredients.

Human Repeated Insult Patch Testing showed no irritation or sensitization at use concentrations (0.86% in leave-on products and up to 30% as leaf water).

Citric Acid is an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) naturally found in citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, and limes.

Like other AHAs, citric acid can exfoliate skin by breaking down the bonds that hold dead skin cells together. This helps reveal smoother and brighter skin underneath.

However, this exfoliating effect only happens at high concentrations (20%) which can be hard to find in cosmetic products.

Due to this, citric acid is usually included in small amounts as a pH adjuster. This helps keep products slightly more acidic and compatible with skin's natural pH.

In skincare formulas, citric acid can:

While it can provide some skin benefits, research shows lactic acid and glycolic acid are generally more effective and less irritating exfoliants.

Most citric acid used in skincare today is made by fermenting sugars (usually from molasses). This synthetic version is identical to the natural citrus form but easier to stabilize and use in formulations.

Rosacea skin has a lower threshold for acids generally, with 62.5% of rosacea subjects in one study reacting to lactic acid in a sting test. This is why we mark citric acid as a potential rosacea trigger.

However, this ingredient shows up as a pH adjuster or chelator at roughly 0.1-1% in many products. These low levels are unlikely to be an issue for rosacea skin and becomes a potential trigger at exfoliating concentrations (20%). Because everybody's skin is unique, we recommend a patch test if you are unsure.

Citronellol is used to add fragrance/parfum to a product. It is often derived from plants such as roses. In fact, it can be found in many essential oils including geranium, lavender, neroli, and more. The scent of Citronellol is often described as "fresh, grassy, and citrus-like".

Since the Citronellol molecule is already unstable, Citronellol becomes irritating on the skin when exposed to air.

Citronellol is a modified terpene. Terpenes are unsaturated hydrocarbons found in plants. They make up the primary part of essential oils.

Citronellol is not able to be absorbed into deeper layers of the skin. It has low permeability,

Citronellol is also a natural insect repellent.

Geraniol is used to add fragrance/parfum to a product. It is the main component of citronellol. It is a monoterpenoid and an alcohol.

Monoterpenes are naturally found in many parts of different plants.

Geraniol can be found in many essential oils including Rose Oil and Citronella Oil. The scent of Geraniol is often described as "rose-like". Many foods also contain Geraniol for fruit flavoring.

Geraniol can irritate the skin when exposed to air. However, irritation depends on the ability of geraniol to penetrate into the skin. In general, geraniol is not able to penetrate skin easily.

Geraniol is colorless and has low water-solubility. However, it is soluble in common organic solvents.

Like citronellol, it is a natural insect repellent.

2,6-Octadien-1-ol, 3,7-dimethyl-, (2E)-

Glycerin (or glycerol) is a compound naturally found in your skin. It's a powerhouse humectant that pulls water into the stratum corneum.

Topically, glycerin does several things at once:

Your skin makes glycerin on its own (mostly from sebaceous oil breakdown) and shuttles it to your outermost layer of skin, or your epidermis, via aquaporin-3.

Aquaporin-3 is a transporter that is essential for normal skin hydration, elasticity, and repair. Interestingly, mice lacking in AQP3 have dry and less elastic skin that can be fully corrected with glycerin.

This ingredient is non-irritating, plays well with almost every ingredient, and works across all skin types. Typical use is anywhere between 3-10% but can go up to 79% in some leave-on products.

Just know very high concentrations (>40%) can feel tacky in low humidity.

Glycerin is the name for this ingredient in American English. British English uses Glycerol/Glycerine.

Linalool is a fragrance and helps add scent to products. It's derived from common plants such as cinnamon, mint, citrus, and lavender.

Like Limonene, this ingredient oxidizes when exposed to air. Oxidized linalool can cause allergies and skin sensitivity.

This ingredient has a scent that is floral, spicy tropical, and citrus-like.

Phenoxyethanol is one of the most widely used preservatives in skincare (and for good reason!).

It has a large spectrum of antimicrobial activity and especially effective bacteria, yeast, and mold while only having a weak effect on your skin's natural microbiome.

On a cellular level, it disrupts the cell membranes of microbes by poking holes that make the cell leak. This shuts down the chemical reactions the microbe needs to make energy so it can no longer survive.

Another perk of this ingredient is that it stays functional across a wide pH range (3-10).

You'll often see it paired with boosters like Ethylhexylglycerin; one study showed that a 1:9 ratio of Ethylhexylglycerin to Phenoxyethanol damages bacterial membranes as effectively as doubling the Phenoxyethanol concentration on its own.

Typical use concentrations range from 0.3-1% depending on the formula, and this ingredient is capped at 1% int the EU.

Safety-wise, the fear mongering does not hold up to the evidence. The EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety and FDA consider it safe as a preservative at up to 1%, including for children of all ages.

Adverse systemic effects only showed up in animal studies at exposures roughly 200x higher than what people get from cosmetics. And despite its very widespread use, this ingredient is a rare sensitizer and allergic reactions are uncommon.

Pullulan is a low viscosity polysaccharide (a long chain carbohydrate) with binding and film forming properties when dissolved in water. It is used to create a "silicone-like" or silky feel in cosmetics without adding viscosity.

According to a manufacturer, this ingredient's ability to easily dissolves makes it a great carrier for active ingredients.

Due to it being edible and tasteless, you'll likely find this ingredient in breath freshener strips. This ingredient is produced from the starch of the fungus, Aureobasidium pullulans.

Pullulan is stable over a broad-range of pH.

Sodium Hyaluronate is the salt form of hyaluronic acid. It is a long sugar chain that is naturally found in your skin, joints, and connective tissue that maintains hydration and elasticity.

In skincare, it works as a humectant. It pulls water from the environment and deeper layers of skin and binds it to the surface.

Interestingly, the size of the molecule affects its behavior:

Some clinical evidence links low molecular weight versions to improved wrinkle depth, elasticity, anti-inflammatory effects, and barrier repair.

Many serums use a blend of both weights so you can get surface hydration plus longer-lasting and deeper effects.

You'll typically see concentrations between 0.1-2% for this ingredient.

Water. It's the most common cosmetic ingredient of all. You'll usually see it at the top of ingredient lists, meaning that it makes up the largest part of the product.

So why is it so popular? Water most often acts as a solvent - this means that it helps dissolve other ingredients into the formulation.

You'll also recognize water as that liquid we all need to stay alive. If you see this, drink a glass of water. Remember to stay hydrated!

Similar Comparisons

The reference edit

Ingredients, questions
& further reading.

Connected source records selected through this article’s public topic index.

01

Formula cabinet

Ingredients & structured notes

Ingredient index

Boutijour Snow Lotus Lifting SerumIngredients explained

  1. 01Good old water, aka H2O. The most common skincare ingredient of all. You can usually find it right in the very first spot of the ingredient list, meaning it’s the biggest thing out of all the stuff that makes up the product.
  2. 02It’s mainly a solvent for ingredients that do not like to dissolve in oils but rather in water.
  3. 03Expand to read more
  4. 04Once inside the skin, it hydrates, but not from the outside - putting pure water on the skin (hello long baths!) is drying.
  5. 05One more thing: the water used in cosmetics is purified and deionized (it means that almost all of the mineral ions inside it is removed). Like this, the products can stay more stable over time.
  6. 06Propanediol is a natural alternative for the often used and often bad-mouthed propylene glycol. It's produced sustainably from corn sugar and it's Ecocert approved.
  7. 07It's quite a multi-tasker: can be used to improve skin moisturization, as a solvent, to boost preservative efficacy or to influence the sensory properties of the end formula.
  8. 08A multi-functional, silky feeling helper ingredient that can do quite many things. It's used as an emulsion stabilizer, solvent and a broad spectrum antimicrobial. According to manufacturer info, it's also a moisturizer and helps to make the product…
  9. 09A natural moisturizer that’s also in our skin
  10. 10A super common, safe, effective and cheap molecule used for more than 50 years
  11. 11Not only a simple moisturizer but knows much more: keeps the skin lipids between our skin cells in a healthy (liquid crystal) state, protects against irritation, helps to restore barrier
  12. 12Effective from as low as 3% with even more benefits for dry skin at higher concentrations up to 20-40%
  13. 13High-glycerin moisturizers are awesome for treating severely dry skin
  14. 14A multi-functional skincare superstar with several proven benefits for the skin
  15. 15Great anti-aging, wrinkle smoothing ingredient used at 4-5% concentration
  16. 16Fades brown spots alone or in combination with amino sugar, acetyl glucosamine
  17. 17Increases ceramide synthesis that results in a stronger, healthier skin barrier and better skin hydration
  18. 18Can help to improve several skin conditions including acne, rosacea, and atopic dermatitis
  19. 19We don't have description for this ingredient yet.
  20. 20A sugar beet-derived amino acid derivative with nice skin protection and moisturization properties. Betaine's special thing is being an osmolyte, a molecule that helps to control cell-water balance. It is also a natural osmoprotectant, meaning that …
Source · incidecoder.com
02

Product index

Related product references

Product

Olay Eye Lifting Serum

Olay Eye Lifting Serum Olay Eye Lifting Serum ingredients explained: Water, Dimethicone, Glycerin, Niacinamide, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Polyethylene, Panthenol, …

Source: incidecoder.comView reference →
03

Comparison edit

Read side by side